Friday, October 26, 2012

The first experience I had of Ilsa was in a cramped basement in DC on tour. The band has to be the most motley crew of individuals. They don't fit the mold of the typical death metal band, nor do they look like the token (pun intended) sludge/stoner band. But who cares about that because when they started to play they blew me away. Super heavy and crushing Death infused Sludge (or sludge infused Death Metal it doesn't really matter) with seriously killer vocals. I am ashamed to say despite their excellent performance, and the sheer amount of times that people told me to listen to their records, I have to admit that sitting down with their new record is the first time I have had a chance to check them out recorded.

The first thing that you hear when listening to the record is an introduction. Arguably the introduction is perfect set up for the mood of the rest of the record. It isn't going to catch you by surprise or force your attention, but it is an interesting and minimal start for what will become quite an interesting record. I would love if the first notes of the record, in juxtaposition with the intro, hit a bit more aggressively but this is something that I had to abandon early, because while the record is very evil and heavy it doesn't really have the bite and the intensity of the typical Death Metal record. I have to admit that I wanted it to be something it really isn't at first, something that within a few minutes I realized it shouldn't be. I wanted it to be more swedish death metal, with not necessarily the HM2 sound but a bit more chainsaw buzz to the guitar. But it is important to know that this is not a Death Metal record, I actually think it is closer to a true sludge record, so what should you expect, super doomy guitar tones that aren't going to rip open your ear drums, but will pound you head down.

If you go into this record wanted to typical flavor of the year, cookie cutter entombed worship, you are doing yourself a disservice. Ilsa have crafted a sound so much more interesting than that, so much more creative. They take aspects of many different metal genres, and from them create Ilsa. I would highly recommend this record, but it is definitely not for everyone. If you have a short attention span, if you like your metal to be fast always, or if you are not open minded enough to give it a shot then you may want to pass on this record, but if you like your metal fast and then slow, if you like your doom to be filled with drone, then you may be waiting on your favorite record of the year.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Nothing are one of A389’s newer and softer signings, much like their label-mates and contemporaries Anne, Nothing provide top notch shoegaze/ dreampop, although unlike Anne, Nothing are more droney, making use of the wall of sound technique found in bands like My Bloody Valentine, Lilys, Whirr, and True Widow. Downward Years to come, Nothing’s debut LP starts off abruptly and seems to set the stage with the dissonant sounding song “The Dives (Lazarus In Ashes)” which upon first hearing it had me saying “holy fuck” once the song picks up at 10 seconds in. The next song, the title track and first single the band released off the album “Downward Years to Come” has come to be one of my favorite dreampop songs in a while, even overshadowing any song off of Whirr’s Pipe Dreams which was my favorite shoegaze/ dreampop release of recent years until I heard this album. While being only 5 songs long (which would seem to not be sufficient for an LP) the run time on each song clocks in at about 5 minutes each, and with the way this album flows, you won’t even know how much time has passed since each song seems to merge right into the next one building up and building up until the song If Only and coming down with the last track on the album The Rites of Love and Death (which while the softest song on the album, is my favorite). As stated before Downward Years to Come has taken the spot as my favorite dreampop/ shoegaze album of recent times since to me it combines all of the elements I love about the genre: wall of sound, drone, noise and even the dissonant vocals (which are more decipherable than most bands of the genre). All in all this album is beautiful sounding and will be rounding out my fall playlist now.

Rating: 5/5 I have no complaints about this album at all, if it were longer it'd be too much actually. The fact that it is 5 songs and seems to all be tied in conceptually makes it more appealing.

We are extremely excited to bring you a free stream and download of a brand new Powerwolves track off their forthcoming album "Into The Black". This album is scheduled to ship on or before October 30st. Preorder the record HERE.

We're happy to bring you a full stream of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania's Girlfight. This is the bands debut EP on Cleveland based Mayfly Records. Preorders will be available shortly, make sure to pick up a copy or two if you enjoy it.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Very seldom these days is a newer band able to come out of nowhere and really impress me straight off the bat, but Creative Adult most definitely have. Featuring the vocalist from Life Long Tragedy and Purple Mercy alongside other members from great bay area bands such as All Teeth and No Sir, this debut 4 song release contains some of the most infectious hardcore punk I have heard this year. While sharing similar roots with the previous bands listed in sound and aggression, these elements also combine with the inebriated and awkward 90's grunge sound that truely sets the band apart from many of the bands currently in the scene. My personal favorite track "You" reminds me of classic bands such as Nirvana in the absolute best way possible, sharing many of the elements of angst and build up into raw aggression that made that made the aforementioned band so undeniably classic in the first place. It's these unique and sorely missed elements that make the EP feel like a breath of fresh air among many newer punk/hardcore bands releasing music today. Most definitely one of my favorite debut releases of the year, and a highly recommended listen.

Not often do many bands seem to break away from the conventions of genre barriers and make a record that is as much hardcore as it is poppy but Heart To Heart seem to be an exception. With their debut LP which is self titled, Heart To Heart seem to have found a sound that any listener of Hot Water Music, Crime In Stereo and Title Fight would enjoy from the catchy riffs to even vocalist Nick Zoppo’s vocal deliver ranging from singing to yelling. “Heart To Heart” shows the band having come into their own after releasing Death Proof in 2011, the self titled shows the band brandishing a much more mature sound while still sticking to the same lyrical subjects that they had before but this time with a seemingly more heartfelt approach. “In Case You Haven’t Noticed” is a perfect opener for the album, seeming to set the table for what to expect the rest of the album to be like and even seems to flow into the next song well. There are many stand out songs on this album that I found myself listening to over and over again such as “Thanks For Nothing” and “Thanks For Everything” two songs that really showcase the bands versatility and even the theme of duality on the album, while “Thanks for Nothing is a more poppy song, “Thanks For Nothing” is a harder song that seems to go on the story that the last song creates. This album is a long time coming for this band and shows that they have what it takes to stand out from their contemporaries.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Us posting straight Black Metal over Hardcore/Punk is pretty rare for this site, but this is an extremely interesting watch. Documentary focuses on the extremely reclusive acts Leviathan, Striborg, and Xasthur. Parts two and three will be posted once available.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

We're happy to bring you a brand new track from our friends in Casting Curses. "Slamification" is off the bands brand new full length entitled "Validation". Purchase the album now for the low price of $2 on bandcamp! http://castingcurses.bandcamp.com/

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

I am of the opinion that Mindset should be the biggest band in hardcore now, having a positive message, politically and within the scene, as well as stances that actually are worth backing and causes that the band members actually help with, it is crazy to think that they aren’t that big yet. With that being said, Leave No Doubt is the catalyst the band needed in my opinion, a real deal hardcore LP that is 10 songs of youth crew and straight edge passion that is reminiscent to that of We’re Not In This Alone era Youth of Today. The band even does a little nod to Judge with their rerecorded version of an older staple in their set Waste which they have come to title as Waste II (like The Storm and The Storm II). Although the playtime for this album is brief, clocking in at about 20 minutes, each song is packed with enough sing-a-long and mosh parts that you will be finger pointing to all of it. The standouts for the record are: Thrive, Waste II, and One Step Beyond (although the whole record is a nonstop assault of great songs) these songs are the ones I feel are the strongest. Mindset is a band that makes me proud to be Straight Edge upon each listen and proud to be involved in a scene where the type of messages they talk about are key. With Leave No Doubt, I see the band entering the realm of becoming a classic much like the early Rev bands were with this, their debut album being known for years to come. This is how hardcore should be, more bands like Mindset.

The Connecticut quintuplet that is Hostage Calm are back again with another album of their alternative/ pop brand political punk. Continuing where their 2010 self titled album left off, the bands third studio album, “Please Remain Calm” has the band polishing off the sound that they introduced on the last album but this time it seems they have come out of it with an album with even more catchy hooks and intelligent lyrics. “Please Remain Calm” seems to be more of a thematic album (more so than the self titled) seeming to talk about the American recession and the damage it does as well as songs such as ‘May Love Prevail’ and ‘The “M” Word’ (which a different version was featured on Run For Cover’s Mixed Signals Comp) which showcase the bands now well known stance of equality and support for same-sex marriages. Many aspects of this album can be related to bands such as the Beach Boys and older pop bands from the 60’s until the 80’s, the bands edge can be found as stated before in their very analytical lyrics describing the nature of American politics profoundly.

Hostage Calm are consistent in the art of making an album that leaves you with their infectious melodies in your head, so catchy that you may catch yourself humming along to the tune of it. I may be of biased opinion when reviewing this though since this was one of my anticipated releases of the year since I was of those who really enjoyed the self titled and I must say that this may be catchier with songs such as: ‘On Both Eyes’ and ‘Patriot’ being the two tracks that I found myself constantly returning to, while the first track seems to be a faster song, ‘Patriot is more like the Beach Boys with vocal melodies on top of each other making it memorable and probably my favorite song on the record. While the bands self titled diverged into the real of pop/rock, “Please Remain Calm” focuses more on pop and does a great job at that. The only downside to this record would be the fact that there is less of a rock tone on it, which makes it a much softer sound with no real biting edge but for what they were going for it, is well done. All in all, this album lives up to the legacy the band has been building and although their softest sounding effort is reaching a sound that not many could pull off well but is executed excellently.